Fries...as in, would you like catch-up with that?!
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As we are all (uncomfortably?? joyfully? warily?) aware, once we all return from hiatus, Spring Concert weekend preparations will go into transwarp. Here are some suggestions that may help you prepare for this looming eventuality :-)
1. Determine exactly what you need to accomplish.
There is one more piece to learn for the spring concert - the piece I'm writing for the choirs. It's not difficult, but it is easy only if you know everything else. Otherwise, we'll all be scrambling.
If I finish the piece during the hiatus, I'll post PDF of the score AND the voice parts at Dropbox and ask Doc to email everyone with an announcement.
Okay.
So - determine exactly what you need to accomplish.
For this, you'll need a pack of sticky notes and your music.
First:
On one sticky note, write the title of the piece.
Beneath that, rate your own performance of your part on a scale from 1 to 10.
Your objective is to be at no less than a "9" rating, come the first week of April.
Beneath your rating, jot down what you need to know or do in order to get up to "9." Use more sticky notes if necessary - this is IMPORTANT.
Then! - estimate how much practice time it will take in order to achieve your goal with the piece. Listening and singing along with choral recordings DO count as practice.
Do this for each piece.
Add up your time estimates.
Voila, that's how much practice time you will need to put in before classes resume. Record this time in minutes.
NOW - how many days do you have? If you're going out of town and you /know/ you won't really have any time to practice, don't count those days! (However, you can always listen to the music! AND guess what - you can scan the scores into your smartphone, if you have one - and no danger of losing scores or having to haul around hard copies.
Divide the amount of practice time (in minutes) by the number of days you KNOW you'll //make// time to practice and study your music.
Voila - there's your daily quota.
One more thing - - Human nature being what it is, you will need to reward yourself at every stage of this project. Write a little Schedule of Rewards - one reward for each day of practice! I'm not talking diamond rings or $5000 coffee cards here - I'm talking /small/ things: perhaps a Hershey's Kiss candy or $1 put into your Rewards account - splurge at a later time.
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SAMPLE
Sticky note for "See the chariot" - soprano
Mastery Rating: 6 - Goal: 9
Need to: make sure all pitches are correct / know exact location of cut-offs, review pitches and diction in mm. xx through xx / be able to sing straight through with choral recording, no mistakes
Amt of time necessary to attain this: 70 minutes (45 minutes of voice work, 15 minutes of listening to CR, 10 minutes of score study / checking markings, etc.)
Similar sticky notes for other pieces
Total practice time needed: 200 minutes (8 pieces)
Number of practice days in hiatus: 11
Daily practice quota: 20 minutes a day - this will exceed goal by 20 minutes!!
See? EASY!
Y'all, this is how I plan piano practice for all sorts of things -
I survey the task.
I determine exactly what needs to be accomplished
I estimate the amount of time necessary to accomplish the goal.
I add all of my estimates and divide the total number by the number of practice days.
That's my daily goal.
Rewards: Remind me to show you my "Kreutzer" and "Solo Recital" jewelry. I allotted myself 1 safety pin for each hour of practice completed and then strung the pins onto cords, forming tasteful and meaningful necklaces.
Have a wonderful hiatus - accomplish all the things - see you in April!
In musical solidarity,
Lee
PS. I'll be posting little gems about more of our concert repertoire during the hiatus - do check here occasionally for the updates.
